I think attitude plays an important part in our lives and in survival. I believe in a fighting attitude…an attitude of survival and I also believe in an attitude of gratitude for all we have in life. An attitude of gratitude in all things helps bring joy to our lives. If we live with resentment and jealousy over what someone else has then our joy is diminished.
“Be grateful for what you do have but also be grateful and happy for what others have too“
I think everyone has probably had a twinge of the green-eyed monster when we see someone receive blessings but the twinge passes. I believe most people are happy to see others receive and to get ahead. But, there are times that you run into people who resent and are jealous and say and do things that end up hurting others because of this. My other son back east lives in a beautiful house in a prominent neighborhood with beautiful furniture and I am proud and happy for him and his success. I have known parents that resented their children getting ahead and I never understood it. I have trouble understanding why someone could not find joy in someone else receiving a blessing of any kind. I remember one friend back east. She had children my age and she was angry that one of them was getting ahead and had a nice home. When I asked her why? She said because she had never had one and that she could never be happy for one to have gotten ahead when the other one did not. My heart hurt for the one that had managed to get ahead and get a home for the hurt that attitude did lasted a whole lifetime.
“It’s okay to feel jealous or envious of others, but it’s not okay to self-sabotage or act in ways that hurt others because of what you’re feeling. If you act on these feelings it diminishes you and others.“
bethankful.com
Attitude of gratitude….feeling thankful for what you have and thankful for the blessings others receive. Being happy that someone gets a new joy, a new home, a blessing, a gift, whatever might be something we have to work on but it is still a choice. Which wave will we ride? Will we ride the wave of resentment and jealousy or the one of rejoicing over the good things someone has come into their lives?
Resent the blessings of others, and resentment haunts your life. Rejoice in the blessings of others, and celebration lights your life. Do what you can for others with a sense of joy, and that joy will return to you.
I read the following quote and it touched my heart for I have believed in the poem about doing good during your life for it is the only life you have and you will not come back this way again. This quote was about after we are gone.
“If I could have my tombstone say just one thing, it would read: “he was happy for the happiness of others.” If it said this, I would count my life as one lived in fullness and completeness, a life that was worth living.”
Bamboo Forest
Something else that I think is important is to never feel like you have to downplay or minimize the blessings God has given you. Do not hide what God has done for you because you worry someone will be resentful or jealous or think it is not fair. I believe that if God blesses us, we should share our blessing and share that it came from God. I do not mean in a bragging way but in a way of joy and humility. For if we hide it, we are hiding what God has done for us.
Sometimes we can get caught up in what we do not have and do not see the blessings that we already have. Some blessings are in the material things but many are blessings of the heart. We all have things we want but if we allow that to overshadow what we already have, then the joy in our life is compromised. Happiness is a contentment in the heart with what we have and it is also recognizing the many blessings in our lives. When we are content and happy with our blessings, it is so much easier to be happy for the blessings others receive.
I think a major part of gratitude is simply learning to love life. There is so many blessings we have simply because we are human beings. We are blessed with so many unique traits and capabilities. Life is a beautiful thing and whatever we can do to illuminate this idea can help.
We forget that gratitude is not only about our accomplishments, what we have, or the good fortune we experience, but that gratitude comes from simply being a person alive in the world.
image from paperbackswap.com
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Amen!
It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy.
I also believe everyone can get rid of most of their problems by changing the definition of what constitutes a problem. Really? It is a problem because your new car is not the right color. Or it is a problem that the new fancy meds don’t taste good?